This invention relates to an apparatus for dismantling filter inserts.
The use of disposable oil filters for filtering motor oil in motor vehicles is generally known. These disposable oil filters consist of a casing which is permanently joined to the bottom by means of a cover. The inlet and outlet openings for the oil to be filtered are provided in this bottom. In the casing there is a filter insert which usually comprises a tube of pleated paper. The casing may also contain a bypass valve or a shut-off valve which prevents the filter from draining empty when the motor is shut off.
After a certain period of use, such a filter must be removed and replaced with a new one. The disposal of such disposable oil filters whole, which generally still contain a certain amount of old oil in their interior, is problematical. Problem-free disposal is therefore possible only if this disposable oil filter is broken down to its individual components, so that they can be reused or disposed of safely.
Published German Patent Application No. DE 3,705,391 discloses an apparatus for the disposal, elimination and processing of used oil filters. In this apparatus individual oil filters are transported by a conveyor system into a defined final position, then delivered to a cutting station, and in a separating apparatus that follows, the filter paper is freed from the holder. This apparatus is said to make it possible to disassemble a relatively large number of oil filters in a short time.
A disadvantage of this apparatus is that it is very costly, and therefore its use appears to be practical only when there is a large number of used oil filters to be disposed of. Due to the use of handling apparatus to correctly position the oil filters, there is also the disadvantage that filters which have been damaged or crushed during removal from the motor vehicle, which is the case with most disposable oil filters, interfere with the progress of the operation and thus cause the apparatus to be shut down.
Another disadvantage of this apparatus is that, although the casing is separated from the filter insert, the filter insert itself is not completely broken down into its individual components. This filter insert consists of a filter paper element, a so-called "paper star," which is sealed at its ends by two end plates and has a metal center tube. To dispose of this filter insert as a whole as "hazardous waste" is uneconomical.